All That Might Have Been
by floppyearsthebunny
Summary: What would the future hold if the Pevensies had survived the train wreck? Warning train wreck.
1. Susan's decision

The Chronicles of Narnia" are the property of the Estate of C.S. Lewis, Walden Media, Walt Disney Pictures, et cetera. No profit is or shall be made from this fan work ever.

"Edmund and I are going to meet Lucy," Peter called upstairs to his sister.

"All right, Peter. Have fun. Be safe," she yelled back.

Climbing the first two steps, he pleaded "Susan, please come. Lucy will be so happy."

"No thank you. Not this time. Thanks, though," his raven-haired sister replied, sounding irritated at his insistence.

Disappointed, but not willing to give up, Peter continued up the stairs.

"What are you doing? If we don't leave in fifteen minutes, we'll be late," his brother yelled at him as he jogged up the flight of steps.

Reaching the top of the landing, Peter turned and knocked on his sister's bedroom door. No reply. He knocked again. Same answer. When he opened the door, Susan was sitting on the window seat staring outside. In the reflection of the glass he could see big crystal tears rolling down her face as he walked across to her.

"I know you're hurting. It was just as hard as for me, but if we stick together, we can make it. Remember how you and I always used to stick together? I told you things I didn't want Ed or Lu to know. We need each other if we're going to get through this."

"Stop it Peter. I said no thank you. Can't you leave it at that? I have my own life to live. A real life, not some made up fairy tale life that you and most of the family seem to live in," Susan snapped, barely able to keep her calm. Her lips tightened and her eyes flared with a coldness that until recently had been so foreign to her. Her values had changed since she had come back from America, and not for the better.

"I know nothing is the same, Su. Just because we can't go back doesn't mean we lock it up somewhere in our hearts, draw the curtains ad forget about it. We remember the good times, treasure them and wait for the day Aslan decides to bring us to his country," Peter soothed sitting beside his younger sister and rubbing her back.

Harshly smacking his hand away, Susan yelled in a volume that surprised even herself, "I SAID NO THANK YOU! WHY CAN'T YOU LEAVE ME ALONE FOR ONCE, PETER? YOU, EDMUND AND LUCY, JUST STOP IT!" then she buried her face in her hands and sobbed.

"You don't have to do anything to please us or anybody; we just want our Gentle Queen back. Please come?" he pleaded. And with that, he turned to go. Pausing at the door he turned one more time. "Goodbye, Peter," she whispered. Hanging his head, he left the room. Susan heard her brother go down the steps. He was deeply disappointed and hurt; Susan could tell it just by his slow, heavy gait.  
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Downstairs, Edmund heard his sister's scream and shook his head sadly. The Gentle Queen was almost gone, though sometimes she appeared for a moment then she would disappear again. Why did his brother insist on trying to make Susan believe again when she simply refused? Didn't she think it had hurt her younger brother just as much when Lucy's and his turn had come and they were told they could no longer return to Narnia? No, she had been to distant to want to listen or to care, too wrapped up in her own grief and too busy keeping up the façade of the prim and proper socialite.

"Well?"

"She won't come."

"I told you so! Oh well, I had she wished she would. She never does anything with us any more. Come on then, we only have few minuets to spare," he urged as he opened the front door.

"Peter, wait!" Susan called out suddenly.

"Yes?" he exclaimed, dashing up the stairs and back into the room.

Sniffing and trying to smile Susan said, "I'll go. Just let me put some makeup on." Peter grinned back happily, his smile warming her like the sun.

"Here dry your tears; the make-up won't work if your face is wet," Peter said as he pulled his handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to her.  
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From the impatient noises Peter heard from downstairs, he could tell Edmund was just about to go charging upstairs and drag his sorry older brother down and out to the automobile.

As soon as Susan was ready, he gave her his arm and they descended the stairs together, much to the astonishment of the younger boy.

"Su, you're coming?" Edmund exclaimed, his eyes lighting up when he saw his sister dressed for a trip into town.

"Do you think I'd be so callous as to not welcome my own sister home?" she said with feigned indignantly.

"Hurrah! Lucy will be so pleased."

"Come on, Ed. You were then one who said we needed to leave now. Let's get a move on; it takes at least ten minutes to get there," Peter encouraged, then escorted Susan to the car.


	2. Endings and Beginings

"...and so as we lifted the cups to our lips, they grabbed us from behind and tied our hands behind our backs and marched us off to Narrowhaven to sell us. They were slavers. You remember Doorn in the Lone Islands right, Su? On the way there we met one of the seven lords Caspian was searching for through we didn't know who he was then. He bought Caspian and led him off.

"What they did I don't know, but we had to spend a whole night alone with Eustace in the slave ship. He hadn't changed yet and he kept asking for the British Consul," Edmund grumbled as he retold the tale of his and Lucy's last trip to Narnia.

"I would have guessed he'd ask a stupid thing like that. How did you escape?" Susan asked, disgusted at Eustace and trying to humor Edmund, but clearly interested in his story. She hadn't had this much fun with her siblings in what seemed like years.

"Once we got to the market they sold off Reepicheep to a performer for the Tisroc and a few of the other captives, natives of the Islands, I think, went to sour-faced men. Then Lucy, Eustace and I were shoved forward. A high-born lady with a kind face bought Lucy instantly. I thank Aslan that she stayed to buy another girl or only Aslan knows what would have happened next."

Here, a smirk appeared on the younger teen's face as he attempted to control his amusement. "He tried to sell Eustace and me together, and he even put him at a bargain price. Nobody would have him. As the bidding continued, I saw four wealthy girls huddled a harsh-looking man, whispering, giggling and pointing at me. I can tell you truthfully, I felt terrified."

"Ed, you were terrified of girls?" Susan teased, unable to hold back her giggles. Peter maintained a straight face, though from the twinkle in his eyes Edmund could tell he was amused.

"_As I was saying_," he continued with a pretence of annoyance. "Thankfully before I was lead off, Caspian arrived in full armor with his men, and the lord whom he had made a duke instead of a governor. He declared all the slaves free and gave the people back their money. I was so relived; I thought I was going to become a slave like that other time…." A shiver raced down all their spines and a hush blanketed the car at the thought of their previous time in captivity.

"Ed, sorry to interrupt, but we're here. Why don't you finish it on the way home, I'm sure Lucy will want to add something," Peter said, getting out of the car. The depot was a small Victorian-style city station made of red brick and had ivy across one wall.

As they walked behind Susan to the train station, the younger boy whispered, "You have the rings, brother?" Peter nodded, softly patting his coat pocket.

"I say Ed, where's Susan gone off to now?"

"Oh she's probably already gotten to the platform. She'll be the only one meeting them if we don't hurry," Edmund exclaimed as they hastened through the building to reach the open air platform beyond to catch up with their sister. A few groups of people stood scattered about here and there, yet there was nothing remarkable about the old station aside from a few fashionably dressed patrons amidst the plainly clothed people waiting on the platform.

Have you met Jill yet?" Peter asked his sister five minutes later to fill the silence between them.

"No, I haven't. What's she like?" Susan asked with mild interest as the sound of an approaching train was heard faintly.

"A nice, clever, friendly sort of girl with long brown curls. She's much like our Lu was at that age, yet not as bold."

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"Jill, look! We'll be approaching the station soon!" Lucy exclaimed as she pointed excitedly out the window. "Won't it be wonderful to go back again?"

"Do you think they're there?" the young girl asked nervously. "Suppose…"

"Don't worry, I'm sure they are. Peter's very prompt about meeting people, but Ed more so. Say Eustace, aren't we going a little fast to make the station?"

"Jill, Lucy, Cover your eyes!" breathed the dismayed boy as he stared out the window. But as they words left his mouth, there came a squeal of brakes and a horrible jolt and the smell of smoke as darkness engulfed her.

* * *

"Ed, trains don't usually come into the station laying on their horn and ringing the bell for they're worth, do they?" Susan observed. Edmund's eyes widened and he watched in horror as the metal monster charged forward, never slowing even as it began to round a curve in the tracks. 

"Peter, it's coming around the bend too fast. It'll never have time to slow..." he shouted, his voice nearly drowned out by the roar of the approaching engine. The same thought must have gone through Peter's mind, for he instantly sprang into action.

"Susan, Edmund get back!" he yelled, pushing Edmund through the panicking crowd and farther away from the danger as the train approached.

Then it hit. A shockwave rippled through the crowd as the train struck the wooden stage they were standing upon with horrifying force. There was total mayhem as the sound of ripping and twisting metal filled the air.

The last dying shrieks of the madly sounding horn were also heard, only to be drowned out by cries of pain, fear and horror. Splinters and shards from the smashed cars and the platform flew through the air, along with dirt plowed up by some of the still intact railway cars. Everywhere people were screaming and the air was heavy with smoke and the smell of blood.

Suddenly something slammed into Peter, sending pain shooting through his back as it knocked him senseless. One lone thought came to him as he blacked out: _Lucy! Dear Aslan, please no!_


	3. The decision

Darkness and cold. For the longest time he knew nothing else, a dull, starless night tempered by a chill wind, empty save for his presence. Gradually he became aware of his body, numbed by the cold. Self-consciousness brought with it memory and he remembered who he was: Peter Pevensie, a Son of Adam, a university student, the High King of Narnia, a child of two worlds. But perhaps now it was three worlds, for he seemed to be standing neither in England nor in Narnia, but in some lifeless void between the two.

Lifeless? What, then, did that make him? Was this strange, unfeeling state of awareness more than just a dream? He raised his hands, trying to see them through the gloom. As he stared the darkness seemed to lessen, as if dawn was approaching.

Light, faint and gray as moonlight, crept into this world from two directions. He looked to his left and saw far away, yet with astonishing detail to the left, his home in England: He saw his house and the yard, his grandparent's house with his grandmother out in her garden, happily planting flowers, his grandfather sitting in a chair not far off, reading his paper. There was the beach that held so many happy memories for his family, the hospital, his drab hospital room, a weeping Susan waiting for him to wake up and his bed. Was that really he lying there? And where were Edmund and Lucy?

**  
**

In the other direction, crystal streams flowed from snow-clad mountains, and clear rivers ran through lush green grass. The fruit trees were laden with mouth-watering fruit and the meadows were bursting with all types of beautiful flowers. There was Beaversdam, Cair Paravel, Anvard and all the good places from Narnia.

The chilling merciless wind of this place pushed hard against him, pushing him closer and closer to Aslan's country. He fought hard against it. People needed him; he could not leave them behind. Yet for every step he took towards England, he was twice that much closer to the country of Aslan. Finally exhausted he collapsed to his knees and wept. Bitter rain pounded hard against him as he sat there, but he did not feel it.

"Aslan!" He was wasted. He could go no further.

Suddenly a patch of brilliant golden light appeared banishing the night with the warmth of summer, and out of it Aslan came towards him. His golden eyes were full of understanding and compassion and rays of light reflected off his face. A wonderful fragrance emanated from his shining mane He slowly padded up to Peter, a sense of awe, fierceness, love and gentleness exuding from him with each step he took. 

"My son," the Lion rumbled softly, his presence comforting.

"Aslan! Oh dear Aslan," exclaimed the High King, his shaking voice full of delight and gladness.

"Why do you weep, Son of Adam?"

"Because I'm spent, Aslan. I can go no further. My family… I have already left them once, I don't want to leave them again."

"Would you go back to my country if I asked you to? Would you give up your will for mine, King Peter?"

"Yes Aslan, if you ask it of me. But I can't move, I need your help," Peter said, his eyes downcast.

"Let me help you. Let me decide what's best for you," Aslan said, breathing on him. Peter's fear disappeared and a measure of strength returned. With His help, Peter was able to pull himself up, leaning heavily on Aslan. Together they walked back towards England and his family. He soon realized that with Aslan the wind is not as strong or biting as it had been and there was something he hadn't felt before in this strange emptiness: pain. As they neared, Peter felt a weariness overtaking him.

"Sleep now. Rest, Peter Wolfsbane." 


	4. New Chapter 4

Disclaimer: nope, don't own them. I would like to thank elecktrum for helping and for beta-ing this story. Thank you for being my beta and for pushing me to do better!

* * *

Voices swirled around Edmund as he awoke dazed and in a pain-induced fog of confusion. Where was he? Who were these people? What were they talking about? And where were his siblings?

He tried to shift position but a pair of hands pushed him back. "Easy son, try to stay still," commanded a man's comforting voice.

He managed to open his eyes only to have a light so bright and dazzling fill his vision that he winced and shut them again. The smell of antiseptics was almost overpowering and even the voices and footsteps in the room sounded weird and echoing. He could tell he was on a table of some sort, and being unable to see frightened him.

"Where am I?" he rasped, his throat dry.

"You're in Mercy Memorial, son. I'm Dr. Hill. There was an accident at the railway station and your legs have been injured. I'm going to perform surgery to repair some of the damage. Don't worry, you're in good hands."

"Where's Peter, my brother?" he asked desperately. But he did not get his answer for a mask was then placed over Edmund's face and a different voice told him to breathe deeply. The last thing that went through his mind as he succumbed to the anesthesia was, "_Great Lion, watch over me."_

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	5. She remembers

Chapter 4 

The silence that surrounded Susan as she waited for her brother to wake was suddenly shattered by the familiar voice of her sister.

"Susan?"

"Lucy! You're alright!" Susan said happily, jumping up from her seat and almost crushing her sister in a hug. "I was so afraid you'd…you'd… died a…and left us. Have you had any word on Ed?"

"I…I haven't. There was such confusion at the wreck," the younger girl replied worriedly, shifting the strap of the sling on her shoulder.

"Oh Lu, you're all beaten up! What happened to your arm?"

"A large suitcase hit it. I think it came from the rack. I had to cover my eyes though, because of the glass. Eustace was a brick. He tried to shield me from the debris."

"Eustace? The others?"

Biting her lip and trying very hard to back the tears, Lucy withdrew a small clinking box from her torn pocket and handed it shakily to Susan. As the top came away, the elder girl gasped, for there beside a smaller box were their father's wedding band and watch, their mother's wedding and engagement rings and her necklace of pearls.

"Su, that was the earliest train to Bristol," Lucy whispered, her voice barely audible.

"Oh Lucy," the elder girl sighed, drawing Lucy in a tight hug and trying to be brave. "We'll get through this Lucy. Together, we will."

Silence blanketed the room, but finally pulling the shreds of her courage together, Lucy whispered, "How is Peter?"

"He hasn't opened his eyes or moved since they brought him here. That was an hour ago. The doctor says it's a miracle he survived this long. He was worse than this when they brought him in."

"He's going to make it, isn't he?" the golden-haired girl asked fearfully, on the verge of tears. She tried not to cry as she looked at the lamentable condition of her eldest brother. He seemed so much worse than any of the battles he had been in while they reigned in Narnia, even worse than the time he had fought the Giants of the North.

"I don't know Lu. I'm so sorry."

"I'm afraid. I don't want him to leave us."

"I'm sure that As… God wouldn't allow that…again," Susan said, trying to reassure her sister as much as to herself.  
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Just then a small movement caught Lucy's eye. She saw Peter's chest to rise and fall in a steady rhythm where moments ago his breathing had been almost imperceptible. He shifted slightly, gasping as pain shot through his body from his wounds.

"I wish had my cordial, just one drop. Su, remember the time he came home after rescuing me from the witch's followers and fighting the battle of Archen River, and how wounded he was?" Lucy recalled, staring at the long shadows that had lengthened since she had arrived.

"Lucy…."

To the younger sister's astonishment, Peter gradually roused and opened his eyes a crack. Despite the medications he had been given, he was clearly fighting to master the pain flooding through him. His relief upon seeing his youngest sister was evident in his drugged expression. "Lu?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. His eyes twinkled faintly and a smile was tugging at the corners of his mouth. A rare Peterish smile, a mixture of surprise and delight that Lucy was alive and safe.

"Peter, we were so worried we'd lost you," Susan exclaimed gently, taking his hand in both of hers and kissing it as tears escaped and rolled down her cheeks.

"It's so wonderful to see you awake," Lucy said, slipping her good hand into Peter's. Peter squeezed it gently with what strength he had.

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Trivia: For anyone finds this sort of thing interesting and have read The Last Battle, there was a real railway accident in which a train coming to Bristol, derailed and crashed into a station killing fourteen to seventeen people and injuring forty-three. "The train derailed and collided with the platforms, severely damaging the carriages, engine and buildings." (Wikipedia) I thought this was interesting because it happened the year before The Last Battle was published.

http:// en . wikipedia . org / wiki / Sutton underscore Coldfield underscore rail underscore crash (minus the spaces.)


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Narnia Edmund, Peter or anything that's C.S. Lewis's. **

To my dear readers:

I'm sorry I've delayed posting this chapter for so long. I though I had nothing to post as I had lost my imagination for the next chapter. But then I found this.

I'd like to thank Electrum for her wonderfull beta-work and for all the help my friends at thelionscall have given me.

There was a comfortable bed beneath him and soft sheets covering him. Pain surged from his legs as he tried to shift position, faintly echoed by a pain in his arm from an IV. Slowly Edmund opened his eyes only to see a blur. He blinked and tried again and his vision cleared somewhat. His room was mostly quiet except for the sound of the wind whistling outside his window and the sounds drifting in from the hall. Then he heard a familiar voice outside the door.

"His right leg was crushed. There was some minimal injury to his other leg as well. I've done all I can, but he may walk with a slight limp even after therapy. He'll be off his feet for months."

"Thank you, Doctor Hill," he heard his older sister say. With stately poise that reminded him of the Gentle Queen that once ruled Narnia by her siblings' side, she entered the room. She wearily sank down upon in a chair beside his bed before she realized that he had roused.

"Ed, you're finally awake!" she exclaimed, trying to keep control of herself yet wanting desperately to dance like a young girl. "How do you feel?" she asked, concern for him mingled with relief that his injuries were no worse.

"Horrible." He was not surprised to see Susan lean closer, for his voice was raspy and faint despite his best efforts.

"How is Peter?"

"He's been injured, but he's being given something for his injuries and should be on the mend soon."

"And Lucy?"

"She's fine; she escaped with only a broken arm."

"Thank The Lion. How _is_ Peter, really Su?" he insisted, slightly irritated.

"You should get some sleep, Ed. I'll call a nurse; maybe they can give you something for the pain."

"Su, wait," he said, grabbing Susan's hand as she turned to leave. "I can stand it a little longer, just tell me what really happened to Peter. Please?"

"Alright," she said with a reluctant sigh. As she sat down he saw her setting her jaw and steeling herself to tell him the news.

Without realizing it, his jaw also tightened. He could see it now; Susan would tell him through her tears that Peter might not make it. That he had been crushed underneath one of the cars. And Edmund felt as if part of his heart had been ripped out.

"He was found pinned down by the wreckage of a rail car, unconscious. His back was broken and he has some internal injuries. He didn't wake up for a long time. Lu and I were afraid that he would… He's doing much better now."

Silence filled the air. Edmund finally released the breath he been holding.

"He isn't crippled, is he?" he whispered.

"I…I don't know,"

"And you?"

"I'm fine, just bruised. Go back to sleep. I'll go call one of the nurses." Giving him a peck on the cheek, she stole softly out of the room as he slipped back into slumber.

Dearest Readers: Constructive Criti to help me improve is enjoyed. Please point out any spelling/grammer problems you see, otherwise please pardon them. I appolgise for the delay and short chapter


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Narnia, Edmund, Peter or anything that's C.S. Lewis's.**

It was quite some time later when Peter awoke to find a familiar face beside his own. After having endured weeks (months?) of the dreadful quiet, there was his brother, asleep in a chair beside the bed. How Edmund had managed it he had no clue, but all the same he was glad.

Closing his eyes, he listened to the gentle sound of his brother's breathing, more precious to him than the sound of soft wind and birds under bright sunshine.

It was then he heard familiar voices in the room, unlike the general noise of nurse and doctors consulting out in the hallway. He shook himself mentally. Come on, wake up. You're dreaming. But the voices continued.

"Should we wake them?"

"No, let them sleep. They probably need it."

"I suppose we'll have to leave without seeing them, then. I doubt Mum and Dad will want me to come back out here very often."

Motion beside him alerted him to his brother shifting beside him, then he heard his brother call out groggily, "Eustace? Jill?" Suddenly alert, Peter blinked open his own eyes. "Well, this a is surprise!"

"Hello, Peter. Edmund," Eustace drawled nervously

"We thought you were sleeping and didn't want to disturb you," Jill interjected.

Running a hand through his tousled hair as he straightened, Edmund mumbled, "Sorry about that. I was waiting for this thing to wake up" tapping his brother's shoulder. Peter smiled in amusement

"How are they treating you here?" queried Eustace.

Edmund mused, "Quite well, I suppose. What would you say, Peter?"

"Yes, I'd say rather well. But they won't let me get out of bed yet," Peter sighed, taking a moment to assess the two.

"It's been rather boring actually," the younger Pevensie mused, a devious smile on his face "So I've been sneaking in here."

"I'm glad you're both alright, though on the other hand I thank Aslan we're both alive too. We weren't so sure about that at first. "

"Where's Lu? And Susan? Are they all right too?"

"Lucy has been staying at Susan's flat I believe. Sometimes Susan brings her to visit us, sometimes she walks. Susan is most likely at her job. After the crash . . .After the crash, she decided that someone needed to look after the family expenses. Since the three of us were laid up, and Lucy with her broken arm, none of us were fit to go to work. "So. . ." Peter paused. "She decided to take it on herself."

"But what of you, two? " asked Edmund. "Did you ever get to Narnia? Or do you still need the rings?"

"Perhaps we'd better wait for Lucy."

Just then a nurse appeared in the doorway, with a frown on her face. "Visiting hours are over now. These two patients need their rest."

Edmund's eyes flashed but he kept quiet. Peter's smile drooped.

"Goodbye Peter, Goodbye Ed."

"Until next time, Jill, Eustace. Thank you for coming."

"We're glad to see you and glad you're both alright."

Frowning, the nurse repeated, "I said visiting hours are over. You can come back tomorrow."

With a final wave, both left. As soon as they were out the door the nurse humphed, turning on her sights on the darker haired of the two. "You at it again? Hmm? I thought we made it abundantly clear that no one was to disturb him while he's healing. Can't you read the sign on the door?"

"Well he is my brother ma'am. You didn't _ honestly_expect me to stay away from him did you?"

"I suppose you don't mind if your own injuries don't heal right? Hmph, well don't blame me cause I won't have this good hospital bear the shame because some young…"

Inching an arm around his brother as best as he could, Peter smiled up at the nurse. "Thank for you good care ma'am. . . Its just… it's been days weeks since I've seen him I've missed him terribly. I feel a much better already with him here. Might he be able to stay a little while? He won't be bothering me."

Muttering and grumbling to herself, she left the room with a hmpth.


End file.
